Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design

London studio Jonathan Tuckey Design has converted a historic chapel in Wiltshire, England, into a house with a blackened-timber extension conceived as the building’s shadow.

Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Photograph by James Brittain

The architects were only permitted to build an extension that would be invisible from the street. “The form was generated by the parameters of building something as big as possible within the chapel’s shadow, so that led to the consideration of materials reminiscent of a shadow,” Jonathan Tuckey told Dezeen.

Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Photograph by James Brittain

The roof and every wall of the extension is clad in bitumen-stained larch, with flush detailing around the edges of the gable and chimney. It is built over a series of reconstructed dry-stone walls.

Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Photograph by James Brittain

“The clients, the planners and us were all keen to create something different to the original building, rather than mimic it,” said Tuckey.

Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Photograph by James Brittain

All four of the house’s bedrooms are contained inside the new structure, while the former vestry of the chapel functions as a library and the large hall is converted into an open-plan kitchen and living room with a mezzanine gallery above.

Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Photograph by James Brittain

A transparent glass corridor links the extension with the two adjoining buildings of the chapel and can be opened out to the garden in warmer weather.

Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Photograph by James Brittain

Other church conversions we’ve featured on Dezeen include a bookstore inside a former Dominican church in Holland and a church converted into an auditorium in Spain.

Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Photograph by James Brittain

See more buildings clad with blackened wood, including a weekend house in Japan.

Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Photograph by James Brittain

Here’s a short project description from the architect:


Shadow House – Transformation of a Grade 2* listed chapel in Wiltshire into a family home

Our clients were intent on preserving the historic character of this elegant historic chapel but needed to adapt the building to accommodate the needs of their young family and connect it to the garden at the rear of the site.

Shadow House by Jonathan Tuckey Design
Site overview diagram – click for larger image

Complementing the existing chapel’s form and scale the new extension sits on re-built dry stone walls in the garden and is unseen from the street. It is clad in blackened timber, echoing the vernacular tabernacle churches of the West Country; a quiet shadow of the original building.

A glazed transparent passage, which can be opened entirely in warmer weather, links the extension back to the chapel where the mid-19th century spaces have been refurbished.

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